Clinical Response to COVID-19 — Kate Morrissey Stahl
CLINICAL RESPONSE TO COVID-19 Kate Morrissey Stahl, PhD, LCSW, CST Clinical Assistant Professor
As the COVID-19 crisis hit, the School of Social Work faculty decided that our social justice mission meant that we had a responsibility to consider how best to respond in ways that would be supportive to our students and our communities.
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e began to appreciate the array of specialties in our community, how we might learn from one another, and how each could be mobilized to serve the wider community. Clinical social work is my specialty, so I will share some of the work we did in this capacity. COVID-19 made even more obvious deep disparities in healthcare access and challenges for well-being. In Athens, the behavioral health community rallied around three groups: medical workers, small business owners, and vulnerable populations. Early efforts on a local clinical therapist listserv included gathering a list of providers to support healthcare workers on a sliding scale as needed. In a second wave, the suicide of a prominent Athenian businesswoman galvanized reflection on how to support small business owners. That week, there was significant discussion on a local therapist page. In addition, the dean called a meeting with the local chamber of commerce. A group
of social work faculty, the dean, and a representative from the chamber discussed ways to support the business and nonprofit communities. We gathered names of sliding-scale providers for small business owners, the field office considered creating small support groups, and others reflected on employee assistance programs. As the pandemic wore on, there was increasing need for clinical referrals and Employee Assistance Program referrals. In my clinical life, I made time to expand support for vulnerable populations, including healthcare providers. In the field, clinical work shifted by moving online. This shift happened quickly even at larger clinics and at a training clinic that I supervise. This shift to online was especially important for providing support to another group I serve extensively: the LGBTQ population. Suddenly, my clients receiving gender affirmation treatment were slowing down the treatment as some services were considered elective. Clients who had moved away from home or had
SOCIAL JUSTICE WANTED | 2020-2021
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